Real Milk

Published by 219 Magazine on January 31, 2014

MILK IS MILK. NOT A BIG DEAL, RIGHT? But think about the enormous role that milk plays in American food culture, going all the way back to the Pilgrims (see sidebar). Almost all of this product is pasteurized: heated to a particular temperature for a determined period in order to kill harmful bacteria (but not all bacteria). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration strongly advocates pasteurization, which destroys dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria. These harmful cultures are especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women and children, according to official warnings. Pasteurization, says the FDA, “was adopted as a basic public health measure to eliminate the risk of getting sick from one of the most important staples of the American diet.”

These scary warnings do little to deter the growing legions of Americans who prefer unpasteurized, or raw milk. Raw-milk foodies are on a quest to turn the United States into a modern land of milk and honey.